{"id":28077,"date":"2016-05-12T07:43:31","date_gmt":"2016-05-12T11:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=28077"},"modified":"2016-11-10T10:51:04","modified_gmt":"2016-11-10T15:51:04","slug":"in-reunions-freedom-circles-peacebuilding-major-facilitates-life-changes-and-his-own-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/in-reunions-freedom-circles-peacebuilding-major-facilitates-life-changes-and-his-own-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"In Reunion’s ‘Freedom Circles,’ peacebuilding major facilitates life changes and his own learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nathan McKnight recognized a quality of reciprocity in his spring semester internship. The people who come through the \u201cfreedom circles\u201d hosted by the organization Reunion, he says, \u201care improving me, at the same time that I’m doing my best to improve them.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKnight, a recent graduate of the peacebuilding and development program<\/a> at Eastern Mennonite University, interned with Reunion while on a cross-cultural semester with the Washington Community Scholars\u2019 Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reunion, a group responding to \u201cthe injustices of mass incarceration,\u201d helps to integrate formerly incarcerated into society through a network of racially and socio-economically diverse small groups\u2014 Freedom Circles\u2014 that meet in communities of various faith traditions throughout Washington D.C.<\/p>\n

McKnight, other staff and regular attendees took turns leading these circles, introducing discussion topics and facilitating conversation.<\/p>\n

\"Nathan\"<\/a>
Freedom Circles, hosted every day by Reunion at varying times in Washington D.C., are an opportunity for formerly incarcerated people and other citizens to interact. The circles help returning citizens change their lifestyles and friendships for the better.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cEncouragement of a new community is very, very important,\u201d says McKnight. \u201cThat really pushes people who come through our Freedom Circles in a better direction than they have followed previously.\u201d<\/p>\n

EMU grad returns to work after internship<\/h3>\n

The confidential meetings \u201chelp people who are coming home from incarceration to have a support network,\u201d says Amy Feeser, a 2015 EMU graduate who works with Reunion as a program and administrative associate.<\/p>\n

Feeser, who interned with the organization in the fall of 2015, was the first intern with a social work background. She began looking at the needs and resources of program attendees, in addition to \u201cthe faith aspect\u201d of rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

Returning to the organization after graduation, Feeser now helps facilitate the circles, coordinates volunteers for prison visits, and connects attendees with congregations and other safe spaces. She also fundraises and helps to write grants.<\/p>\n

Feeser views Reunion as \u201ca beacon of hope \u2026 I’m surrounded by people who share their brokenness and their stories openly.\u201d<\/p>\n

While she at times despairs at the unfairness of the justice system, Feeser is bolstered by the potential of the circles to promote honest, vulnerable connection that springs from brokenness.<\/p>\n

Classes, work experience help understanding<\/h3>\n
\"Ben's\"<\/a>
Nathan McKnight and fellow WCSC housemates outside Ben’s Chili Bowl restaurant in Washington D.C. Besides gaining work experience, the students also spent time exploring the city and learning about its history and culture. (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

McKnight’s interest in the prison system began in a restorative justice class taught by Professor Barry Hart<\/a>, with EMU\u2019s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding<\/a>. The class traveled to the Graterford maximum security prison in Pennsylvania, where they participated in eight-hour nonviolence sessions with inmates who had been merited with good behavior.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understood a lot more about the problems with our justice system, as well as getting to know the inmates themselves better, and understanding their humanity,\u201d says McKnight. \u201cI began to delve deeper into some of the questions that had been raised by being there.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those questions was to challenge \u201cthe myth that people coming out of prison are people who have ‘served their time.’ I have been learning from my experience here that people who have a criminal record are incarcerated for life, in a way,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

A felony conviction makes certain jobs, housing, and relationship opportunities vanish. People with criminal records \u201care essentially put into a second-class citizenship, where they don’t have freedoms like voting,\u201d McKnight explains.<\/p>\n

Working with people who face such difficulties was emotionally challenging work \u2013 what McKnight saw as both the greatest struggle and reward of his internship. Despite the emotional toll, seeing positive progress in the lives of Freedom Circle participants \u201cmakes me look at the world in new ways,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Washington Community Scholars’ Center (and its former program, Washington Study-Service Year) celebrates 40 years of cross-cultural learning in Washington D.C. Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016. Check the website for more details later this summer and contact lauren.jefferson@emu.edu if you’d like to be added to a mailing list for more information.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nathan McKnight recognized a quality of reciprocity in his spring semester internship. The people who come through the \u201cfreedom circles\u201d hosted by the organization Reunion, he says, \u201care improving me, ... read more about In Reunion’s ‘Freedom Circles,’ peacebuilding major facilitates life changes and his own learning<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,359,12503,5593,17571,14145,6287,4513,14139,12632],"tags":[5690],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-28077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-applied-social-sciences","category-cjp","category-intercultural","category-internship","category-peacebuilding-and-development","category-social-work","category-student-life","category-student-profiles","category-wcsc","tag-peacebuilding"],"yoast_head":"\nIn Reunion's 'Freedom Circles,' peacebuilding major facilitates life changes and his own learning - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/in-reunions-freedom-circles-peacebuilding-major-facilitates-life-changes-and-his-own-learning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In Reunion's 'Freedom Circles,' peacebuilding major facilitates life changes and his own learning - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nathan McKnight recognized a quality of reciprocity in his spring semester internship. 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